The Smile of a Queen
by Moonchild10
Summary: All Toru wanted was to get through second year without incident. Unfortunately, friendships have a way of changing when you don't want them to. Not to mention Arisada has a habit of still pulling strings around the school... YuuxToru
1. Friends

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Princess. Mikiyo Tsuda and Studio Deen do.**

**This story is being beta read by the wonderful Red-Headed Psychopaths Wanted, so I'd like to give her special thanks! I really appreciate all the help! (:**

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"Shihoudani! Do you really have to have the window open?" Mikoto hunched farther down in his seat and fixed the blond boy with an exasperated expression. Yuujirou, who was stretched leisurely across his seat on the other side of the train's compartment, shifted slightly and gave him a look. 

"Honestly, Mikoto, can you restrain yourself for five minutes? We'll be there soon."

"But the wind is freezing when we're moving this fast!" Mikoto scowled at his companion, who countered the look with a smirk. 

"Really, Miko-chan. If you keep whining like this, do you really think I'm ever going to travel with you again?" the blond's mouth twitched slightly, but he managed to keep from chuckling and ruining Mikoto's pouty mood by force of sheer willpower. If he let on to Mikoto that he wasn't serious, his fun for the remainder of the trip would be shot. It was a delicate procedure, and Yuujirou had perfected it well over the course of the previous school year. Keep Mikoto panicking, and you had high-quality entertainment for any extended period of time. 

"I don't care! I don't _want_ to be traveling with you, anyway!" Mikoto's frown deepened. "And I've told you a million times… don't call me _Miko-chan_!" 

A cart of refreshments rolled by, and Yuujirou flashed the attendant who pushed it a charming smile (Mikoto sullied when he realized that it was probably due to the fact that she had quite large breasts) before turning back to his companion, a newly acquired cherry tart in his hands, and gave him a long stare with just a trace of a telltale smirk marking his features. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have forgotten, Miko-chan," Yuujirou told him, turning his gaze out the window once again as he propped an elbow on the sill and rested his chin on his hand. The cool spring air that rushed past his face was invigorating, much more pleasant than the smell of other people's sweat and lipstick that filled the air inside the train compartment, a permanent scent that seemed to have seeped into every surface. He gave a satisfied smile at the sound of Mikoto's groan of frustration and kept his eyes fixed on the passing trees and buildings. 

"Ahg! You called me Miko-chan again…" the fight had gone out of Mikoto's voice and all that was left was irritation and temporary defeat. Yuujirou held back a giggle. 

"Oh, did I? I'm sorry, I didn't realize I said that, Miko-chan."

"WAAAHG!" 

**XXX**

The thing Toru liked best about the spring was rain. 

He wasn't exactly sure if it was something unnatural to be fond of; Yuujirou was constantly complaining about it, and Sayaka didn't seem to particularly enjoy it either. And Mikoto hated it, but that didn't count for much because with the right prompting, Mikoto could be driven to hate just about anything. 

Toru decided wondering was a waste of time and instead kept his eyes focused on the sky. He did realize that in theory, being the kind of person who would lie there actually _waiting _for rain made him a dull sort of person. This was a bit depressing in itself, but it really couldn't be helped. It was hard not to turn a bit dull over the course of two weeks at home. 

Never in his life had Toru wished that a vacation would end, but at the moment he would give up a substantial portion of his own skin to be back at Fujimori, charging head-on into another year of colorful campus life. Things were always interesting at the school, despite the rigorous amount of homework he had been given the previous year (and the workload that promised to be even larger this time around). And then it hit him, as it had so many times over the uneventful spring break, that as a second year he would no longer be a Princess. This filled him with a small sense of loss, though it _would_ be a relief to no longer worry about shaving his legs. Being a Princess was what had managed to keep his mind off of problems at home the year before, and now if any arose, he really wasn't sure if homework was going to be a large enough distraction. 

And then there was the fact that the Princess job had been what kept him so closely linked to Yuujirou and Mikoto. Chances were he wouldn't be lucky enough to be in the same class as Yuujirou again, and he could feel the dim sense of falling at the realization that this year there was a possibility that he would barely see them. So far away from his aunt and uncle, Yuujirou, Mikoto, and Akira had turned into a kind of makeshift family that he could put faith in. And though he was almost positive he would be able to find some way to see them regularly, he couldn't shake away the deep pit of dread that seeded itself in his stomach, burrowing in deep and refusing to be shaken off. 

"It's not going to rain…" he muttered, staring up at the perfect blue sky above him. A few fluffy white clouds floated unthreateningly past, but other than that the sunny world was broken by nothing more than the shadows of the trees. He shivered inadvertently. There was something about the very thought of it all, coupled with the breeze that was not as forgiving as a spring breeze should have been, that filled him with ice for short spurts and then released him back to the warmth to the current moment, his back pressed into the soft, rapidly growing emerald grass. 

The face that swam into his vision then was nearly enough to make him scream; he definitely hadn't expected someone to follow him this far from the house, back into the undeveloped land that would undoubtedly someday soon give way to apartment complexes. And what was even more shocking was that the head was not framed in Sayaka's short black hair, but in golden hair that gleamed luridly in the bright sun. 

"Y-Yuujirou…" he muttered, unable to shake away his shock as he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and stared at Yuujirou and the redhead who stood behind him. "Mikoto! What are you two doing here?"

"What? Saying that after we came all this way to see you? You ungrateful bastard!" Yuujirou said dramatically, pretending to swoon as he tossed something Toru's way. It bounced off of his chest and he picked it up before it could get dirty. It was a cherry tart wrapped in a napkin. 

"Let me rephrase," Toru climbed to his feet and fixed the other two with a smile. "Why are you here? Did you just get a random urge to show up and throw pastries at me?"

"That's pretty much it," Yuujirou said with a shrug, glancing back at Mikoto, who stood several feet behind him and kept shifting the bag over his shoulder. "Right, Miko-chan?"

"Ah! Don't call me that, Shihoudani!"

Yuujirou ignored him. "Actually, we came because I couldn't stand being at home anymore, and we haven't seen you all break, since you live all the way out here. We figured we could all take the train back to school on Monday together. What was with the sudden decision to go home, anyway?"

Toru shrugged, glancing at the feathery clouds for a moment before answering. "I guess it was because I felt bad for never going back over summer. Uncle said they'd all really missed me, so I decided I owed this to them at the very least." 

Several feet away, Mikoto stood quaking under the turbulence of his personal black cloud, on the verge of snapping. 

"Oi, Mikoto, what's with you?" Yuujirou asked, shaking the redhead slightly.

Mikoto raised his pink grapefruit eyes slowly, still seething in a cloud of melodramatic irritation and pointed a single finger at Yuujirou. "You probably already knew this, Kouno, but _that guy_ went home for break too! And he lives six blocks away from me! Six blocks! He's been torturing me this whole time and I can't get any peace and quiet at all! I can't take it anymore!" Mikoto clutched handfulls of his hair (an indiscriminate blend of pink, red, and orange) and groaned. 

Yuujirou gave him an unaffected glance. "I didn't bother you that much." he shrugged and turned back to Toru. "Mikoto is just cranky because I dragged him away from his precious girlfriend to see the friend he's been neglecting all break. It's a shame, Mikoto. And you call yourself his friend?"

Mikoto didn't answer. Shooting Yuujirou a scowl, he turned and stalked off in the other direction, only to have Yuujirou follow him. 

"Hey Mikoto, you can't just abandon your poor friends like this! What would Megumi-san think?" he called, following close behind the aggravated teen. Toru laughed and followed them, happy that at least for the time being, his world had fallen back into place. 

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**More to come soon… **

**Note: I didn't know whether to base this on the manga or the anime, so I decided on a combination of both. That explains why Toru's name is spelled as a combination of the manga spelling (Tohru) and the anime spelling (Tooru). The story will still make sense if you haven't read the manga, for the most part.**

**Also, the school year starts after the two-week spring break in Japan, so the 'break' in here is essentially what summer vacation would be in the US; the break between school years. **


	2. Shingai

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Puri Puri. I swear. :hides forged copyright papers:**

**Whew! Chapter 2 is finally here! It took so long mostly because I fail at life, but partially because I was at a loss for what to write. But here it is 8D**

**This chapter goes out to my little sister Brittany, whose personality I use to help characterize Yuujirou. And of course to my beta reader Maria, without whom this story would be ultimate fail. I tried to fix the ending of this chapter, Mari-bear! I hope I helped it feel a little better.**

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"So this is where Princess Kouno lives, eh?" Yuujirou asked in his singsong voice as Toru closed the front door behind them. He stood with them for a moment in the foyer, not really sure what to do next.

Toru really hadn't bothered to think of mentioning to his aunt and uncle that he had made new friends at Fujimori. His relationship with his surrogate parents had always been tentative and polite; Toru had a tendency to restrain himself around others. They would ask questions and he would answer, but he never brought things up on his own. It was for this reason that something simple like having friends over unexpectedly was far more awkward than it should have been. The whole setup was sometimes more trouble than it was worth. It almost made him wish he was a little less like himself and a little more like Yuujirou.

"Uncle?" Toru called, moving toward the doorway to the living room and peering around the doorframe.

"What is it, Toru?" Koichi Kouno lifted his gaze from the newspaper in his hands and fixed it on his nephew. Toru blinked.

"Um… some friends of mine showed up unexpectedly. Is it alright if they stay for a bit?" he was aware that he felt slightly guilty for even asking this much. He wondered exactly when he had become so rigidly polite around his uncle, or if it had always been this way. He couldn't even remember.

Koichi appeared to give the issue some thought. "I suppose that would be alright," he answered with a nod.

"Thank you," Toru gave him a polite smile and turned back to the foyer, only to find Yuujirou several inches away from his face.

"What, so you're not even going to introduce us?" the blond spat, shaking his head. "Honestly, Toru. Where are your manners?" he glided past Toru and flounced into the living room and straight up to Koichi, who looked at him with some surprise. "My name is Yuujirou Shihoudani, and this is Mikoto Yutaka," he said, gesturing toward the redhead who was still standing beside Toru and sulking, his irritation at being dragged away from Megumi early evident in his surly features. "Thank you for letting us stay on such short notice." and then he bowed in a fair approximation of acceptable social conduct. Toru almost laughed. Yuujirou never ceased to surprise him.

"So, you're Toru's friends from school?"

"That's right," Yuujirou answered. "And we're sorry for barging in like this. We just missed Toru and we wanted to surprise him. Right, Mikoto?"

Mikoto gave something between a nod and a grimace. Meanwhile, Koichi was looking at Yuujirou with an expression that conveyed something akin to confusion. Toru couldn't rightly blame him; he had been confused upon meeting him too because of that androgynous face. If he had managed to confuse him for a girl at first, there was no doubt his uncle could as well. It seemed at the moment that Koichi was looking at Yuujirou and trying to figure out exactly what a girl was doing attending Toru's supposedly all-boys' school. He decided to put an end to the confusion quickly before something awkward was said on Koichi's part. Yuujirou could be unpredictable when it came to confusion about his gender.

"That's right," he said conversationally and stepping forward to place a hand on Yuujirou's shoulder. "Yuujirou meant to call, but it just slipped _his_ mind." he made sure to make the 'his' perfectly clear when he said it. Koichi's face slid from confused to surprised to neutral, and then he smiled.

"Well, it's perfectly alright. I'm glad to see that Toru has friends who would come all this way to see him."

Toru smiled slightly. "Well, we're going up to my room now," he told Koichi with a small wave, making his way toward the stairs. Yuujirou and Mikoto trailed behind him, and Toru was grateful that Yuujirou waited until they had reached his bedroom and closed the door behind them to say something.

"What's with all the awkwardness, Toru?" he demanded, leaning against the door and fixing him with his intense gold stare.

"What do you mean?" Toru shrugged and pretended to be immersed in stowing Yuujirou and Mikoto's luggage under his desk.

"I mean you talk to your uncle like he's your teacher or something. I wasn't that awkward around my step-dad when he _was_ my teacher! So what's going on here? Spit it out!" Yuujirou had moved over to him now and stood beside him with his arms crossed, clearly bent on making it obvious that there was no escape from the question.

"You're not awkward around _anyone_," Toru reminded him. "You just put up the Princess smile and act like you're not uncomfortable at all."

"Maybe he was just awkward because _somebody_ decided to come all this way without bothering to tell him!" Mikoto said, giving Yuujirou a patronizing look.

"Oh shut _up_, Miko-chan," Yuujirou said with a haughty wave of his hand. "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to. And stop pouting already. You're only being dragged away from your precious girlfriend _two days_ early. So suck it up and don't be such a whiner. You're not a first-year anymore."

"I'm not whining!" the redhead protested. "I was just _saying_ that maybe he wouldn't be so awkward about it if you'd-"

"Sounds like whining to me," Yuujirou told him with a smug grin. Toru smiled and joined in as he took a seat in his desk chair, unable to resist teasing him at least a little bit.

"Yeah Mikoto… even if your intentions were pure, you were still using a whiny tone. That automatically constitutes whining," he said matter-of-factly. Yuujirou gave him an amused grin from where he sat on the floor.

"So now you two are whine scientists or something?" Mikoto asked incredulously with a frustrated look etched into his features.

"No, we're whine _tasters_!" Yuujirou said, and immediately broke into hysterical laughter. Toru felt inclined to join in, though it was the kind of ludicrous joke that made him want to give Yuujirou a dubious look and slap him for being corny to an inappropriate level.

"You guys are impossible!" Mikoto told them, throwing his hands into the air in an 'I give up' kind of gesture.

"S-sorry, Mikoto," Yuujirou said between giggles, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "We're picking on you too much, right? We'll give it a rest. Sorry. We're done."

"Y-yeah…" Toru had to hold the chair to steady himself as he held in silent laughter. "We won't pick on you anymore today, okay?"

Incidentally, they kept it up until dinner.

**XXX**

"Come on Toru, just admit it!"

"No way! Your thighs are way fatter than mine!" Toru shot Yuujirou a playful smirk and took a small sip of his soda. "We both know it! You just don't want to admit it because it makes you insecure that you look like a fat-legged girl."

"Guys shouldn't notice if they have fat thighs or not," Mikoto remarked offhandedly, immersing himself in his milkshake. His mood had improved substantially since the day before, but he still couldn't keep himself from commenting. He didn't like admit that he had that much in common with Yuujirou; sometimes he lacked the ability to control his mouth. His indiscretion was made obvious when Yuujirou shot him a look and made a small 'humph' noise.

"It's hard not to notice when you prance around in a dress for an entire school year." he chewed pensively on a French fry before finishing his statement, "And you're just saying that because we all know you have perfect thighs."

Mikoto wasn't entirely sure if this was meant to be a compliment or if he was teasing him. But since it was Yuujirou, it was most likely the latter, and he opted for reacting by scowling off in a random direction and hoping he wouldn't say anything else. He tried to occupy his mind with the joyful reality that during the coming school year he would be able to participate in sports, he would not be wearing any dresses, and he wouldn't have to be ashamed of brining Megumi to school functions (unless you counted how embarrassing Yuujirou and Toru were fond of being when around someone whose opinion Mikoto cared about). And then, as though he had read his mind, Toru's voice broke through his reverie;

"Hey Mikoto, isn't that your girlfriend?"

Snapping back into consciousness, Mikoto looked in the direction that Toru was gesturing. And there she was, by some wonderful (and terrible, if the company he was currently in was taken into account) twist of fate, standing and looking lost near the entrance to the shopping center several yards away. Not even caring how humiliating the experience would be with Yuujirou and Toru with him, he got up and hurried over to her, breaking into a happy grin as he filled quickly with the joy of actually _seeing_ her, this far away from home of all places.

"Megumi-san!" he reached her quickly, and when she saw him she smiled, making his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He took her hands in his and successfully kept himself from exploding with excitement. "What are you doing here?"

"We invited her," said Yuujirou from behind him.

"Since you got dragged away from home early," Toru chimed in.

"And we didn't feel like listening to you whine," Yuujirou finished.

"Really?" Mikoto turned for a moment to stare at them, positive that this was some kind of terrible practical joke. "You guys?"

"Of course. What's the matter, you didn't think we were capable of doing something nice for our little Miko-chan?" Yuujirou tossed his hair dramatically. "Typical."

"But-"

"It's true," Megumi said, regaining his attention. "They paid for the bus ticket and everything." she blushed. "And they said you… missed me."

"Of course I did!" Mikoto wasn't entirely sure of what to say. Such random acts of kindness were not commonplace in his relationship with his fellow former-Princesses, and all he could do was stare for a moment. "Thanks, guys," he managed lamely.

"Don't mention it," Toru said, shrugging. Yuujirou just gave Mikoto a signature smirk.

"Be sure you don't waste this instance of kindness," he said, crossing his arms. "It might not happen again."

And despite that intimidating golden smirk he was faced with, Mikoto smiled at Megumi and couldn't help but think that with occasions like this, second year just might end up being better than he had anticipated. The fact that the other two would do something like this made him almost want to hug them (though he wouldn't go that far). He smiled blissfully, unconsciously slipping his hand through Megumi's and holding it loosely.

"So, what's the plan, then?" Toru asked offhandedly as he glanced at the obnoxious burger-shaped digital clock that hung over the food court. "We should probably get going if we're going to do anything before it gets too late."

Mikoto knew instantly that this whole thing had been too good to be true when Yuujirou smiled. It wasn't, however, the kind of smile a normal person would give in this situation; it was the kind of smile that spelled certain doom. Mikoto was completely certain when he narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke four words that made his blood run cold.

"We're going to karaoke."

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**Oh noes, poor Miko-chan. Would you guys rather they went back to school or I did a chapter of them karaoke…ing?**


	3. Karaoke

**Disclaimer: …**

**Yay! Chapter 3! I appreciate you all being so supportive of this story! Big thanks to the readers and to Mari-bear, this story's awesome beta reader. Wooo! :3**

**And by the way, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in translating Princess Princess Plus (the one-volume sequel to the manga). I have raw scans but I fail at Japanese. So anyone who'd like to translate it can feel free to PM me and I'll send them links!**

**And the last thing, I swear: This chapter has Mitaka in it! For those who haven't read the manga, Toui C. Mitaka is a transfer student from who ran against Akira for student council president. He's pretty badass. I still have the link in my profile for those who want to read the manga 8D**

**Enjoy!**

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"Do we really have to do this?"

It had been a very long time since Yuujirou had seen Mikoto look quite so horrified, and he gave the redhead a sinister grin and nodded decisively.

"Of _course_, Mikoto. What kind of people would we be if we let Megumi-san go home without bearing witness to your unique karaoke techniques?" he narrowed his eyes at the pleading boy and gave him a look that he knew very well meant he wasn't getting out of this. He gave him this look frequently, and by now Mikoto didn't even argue. Instead he gave a small, irritated moan and slumped back on the blue vinyl seat that covered three of the karaoke booth's four walls. Yuujirou did his best to restrain a chuckle and took a seat next to Toru, examining his fingernails nonchalantly. "Now calm down. We're all going to sing too, so it's not like we're sentencing you to death row alone or anything."

"You might as well be," Mikoto muttered, looking miserable. Yuujirou rolled his eyes at him.

"Quit whining. I figured you would have grow up a little, going into second year and all. But you're just as irritating as you were the first time I met you."

Mikoto ignored him, turning his attention to Toru, who was glancing through the song lists and discussing what they should sing first with Megumi. "We could sing this one," the blue-haired boy suggested, pointing to a song that looked easy and casting a look at Mikoto for approval. "It's a duet."

"A duet sounds like fun," Megumi agreed, tapping her lip.

"Well, who's going to sing it?" Mikoto asked Toru.

"You are," Yuujirou chimed in, leaning over Mikoto to look at the song on the list. "Naturally," he gave the redhead a smile that feigned compassion. "And I'll sing it with you, how about that?" He knew by the look of horror that immediately flooded Mikoto's features exactly how he felt about the suggestion.

"I'm not singing anything with _you_," Mikoto said, letting out an irritated puff of air and slumping down in his seat.

"Oh yes you are!" Yuujirou gave him a stern look and grabbed him firmly by the hand, simultaneously grabbing the song list from Toru's hands.

"I wasn't finished with that…" Toru muttered as Yuujirou pulled Mikoto up to the large karaoke machine at the front of the booth, thrusting one microphone into his hand and taking one himself.

"Ready, Mikoto?" he was already entering the song number into the machine as he asked, and Mikoto blanched.

"No."

The music started quite innocently, giving off no threatening message that could warn listening ears of the nature of Mikoto's particular brand of singing. Yuujirou started in on the first line, scowling at Mikoto when he didn't begin singing. "You'd better not wimp out on me, Miko-chan. Or I'll tell Megumi-san about 'you-know-what'," he didn't know what 'you-know-what' was, but clearly there was something that could be used against Mikoto, as the glowering boy opened his mouth and began to sing along.

The shock value of Mikoto's sheer sense of tone deafness was not nearly as great as the time before. Yuujirou had heard it before, and so by now it was old news. It was still horrendous, of course, but it didn't make him physically sick as it had last time. Megumi, however, had probably never heard Mikoto sing, judging from the disturbingly blank look on her face. The song dragged on for three and a half agonizing minutes, Mikoto looking decidedly more dead inside with each passing second. When the music finally ended and Mikoto finally slumped back into his seat, Yuujirou almost felt guilty for forcing him to sing. Almost.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Megumi-san," the redhead said miserably with a sigh. "I hoped you'd never hear it. I didn't want you to know I really can't sing."

Megumi smiled at him, placing a hand on his cheek. "It's really okay, Mikoto. I can't sing either."

"Really?" Mikoto looked surprised and slightly reassured as she nodded, and Yuujirou allowed himself a faint smile. Guilt averted.

**XXX**

"I'm _so_ glad we're finally off that train," Yuujirou swung his suitcase over his shoulder. "If I had to sit in there for another five minutes listening to those old ladies chatter I definitely would have lost it. What about you, Toru?"

His head still slightly foggy from falling asleep on the train, Toru nodded blearily. They had been walking for the better part of ten minutes, and by now Fujimori's campus was in sight. It was relieving to finally see it again after the excruciatingly long two-week break, and he could feel some tension washing away at the very sight of the sprawling white buildings. He was back in his element. "Yeah."

They were interrupted by an unintelligible grunt from beside them, where Mikoto was struggling to carry multiple suitcases.

"Why did you bring so much stuff, Mikoto? Did you really expect to carry all that?" Yuujirou looked slightly amused.

"This is all the extra stuff I'm going to need for sports. I couldn't do any last year because being a Princess took up all my free time," Mikoto sounded vaguely bitter. "I didn't want to ask my mom to pay extra to have it delivered, so I'm carrying it."

"You're starting to sound like Toru. And with your luck, they'll make you do it all over again this year," the blond said with a chuckle, and Mikoto's expression darkened.

"Don't even joke about that," he said in a shadowy voice. Yuujirou and Toru shared an amused glance, "You'll jinx it!"

"Hey Mikoto, what if they make you wear a frilly dress again this year?" Toru teased.

"And what if they make you shave your legs? And all that makeup?" Yuujirou leaned in closer to Mikoto. "All over your face and getting all over the collar of your shirt…"

To Mikoto's credit, he only scowled slightly and ignored them, which both showed evidence of his new slight maturity and irritated Yuujirou and Toru, who were guilty of enjoying when they got a rise out of him. They walked in silence, nearing the campus and the loud voices of students milling around before class started. It was a refreshing feeling to be back among them, blending into the sea of testosterone. They had barely reached the grass when voices began to ring out in their direction.

"Shihoudani! Kouno! Mikoto!"

Mikoto automatically squeaked and attempted to make a run for it, but Yuujirou stuck out his hand at lightning speed and caught the redhead by the arm, shaking his head. "Relax, Mikoto. You're not a Princess anymore. They're just being friendly. Honestly, I don't know what you'd do without us sometimes," Yuujirou released him and waved at those who had acknowledged them -- adopting the glittering Princess smile, Toru noted-- before turning back to his friend. "You're going to have to get used to not bolting when people call your name, Mikoto."

"I can't help it!" he said defensively with a loud sigh, drooping slightly. "I'm so used to it that it's part of my instincts now."

"Well, get rid of it!" Yuujirou told the shorter boy, turning narrow golden eyes on him. "It's no good to make a run for it whenever someone wants to talk to you!"

"Hi guys!" the bickering was cut short by the sudden greeting as a short green-haired boy slid up to them.

Toru grinned. "Good morning, Akira," he said, turning toward him. "Mitaka," he added to the tall, caramel-haired figure looming several inches behind Akira. He received a grin from Akira and a nod from Mitaka in response.

"How was your vacation?" Akira asked, casting a concerned glance at Mikoto and Yuujirou, who were still quarreling beside them.

"Fine. A little slow, though. We spent the first week of it training the new Princesses," Toru sighed. "And we're still not done. We took shifts to get more training time in, so we didn't even get to see each other."

"They're lucky, considering you three didn't get any extra training," Akira pointed out, running a hand over his soft green hair and nodding.

"Do you really have to follow him like that still?" Yuujirou interjected with his golden eyes focused on Mitaka. "I don't think Akira needs a babysitter."

Mitaka looked impervious to the comment, and only shrugged slightly. "It's my job to assist Akira in any way possible," he reminded the blond. Yuujirou muttered something about perverts and turned to Toru.

"That guy still creeps me out," he whispered, and the rest of his sentence was drowned out by the loudspeaker emitting feedback before a voice cut out over the grounds.

"Good morning students, and welcome back. Class will start in half an hour, so those who will be residing in the dormitories this term can take this time to get settled in. And also, will Shihoudani Yuujirou, Kouno Toru, and Yutaka Mikoto please report to the student council office?"

Out of habit, Mikoto moaned.

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**And the plot… thickens? XD I'm sorry it's moving so slow right now. Things happen in the next chapter, I promise. **


	4. Queen

**Disclaimer: OMG I don't own!!111eleven**

**Yay! Chapter 4 is here. It's a bit long, so forgive me. It includes an appearance of Izumi, one of the new Princesses from Puri Puri Plus and features a lot of manga-style shouting matches. And for the record, it has come to my attention that Arisada is a third year this year and has not yet graduated. I'm sorry for the mistake!**

**Once again, special thanks to Mari-bear for beta reading this! I'm lucky to be under her expert supervision :3**

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"I wonder what the student council could possibly want with us?" Yuujirou had thrown himself down on the top bunk the moment he and Toru had entered their new room, claiming it without a single word as his rightful throne. Now he lay with his feet dangling in Toru's face as the bluenette attempted to fish some deodorant out of his travel bag. "Especially since Akira didn't tell us about it and he's president…"

Toru ducked to avoid being hit in the face by Yuujirou's stocking feet. "It does seem a little suspicious. And why are you taking your shoes off? We have to go down there right after we've settled in. I'm guessing since we're not Princesses anymore they're not going to be as gracious when it comes to waiting for us to show up."

"Well, maybe it takes me a while to settle in…" Yuujirou contended with a wry smile. Toru smiled back with a mixture of irritation and amusement and absentmindedly tossed his bag at Yuujirou. The blonde caught it and threw it back. Instinctively, Toru ducked, and the cloth bag flew over his shoulder and hit Mikoto squarely in the face as he walked into the room. The redhead sighed heavily.

"Jeez! Come on, you guys!"

"That's what you get for entering without knocking," Yuujirou scolded him in a booming voice, sitting up and pointing a slender finger at him. "You should be ashamed. That's _terrible_ manners."

"Not ladylike at all," Toru agreed, tapping his chin and regarding the shorter male in the doorway. "What should we do with him?"

"Hang him by his toes," Yuujirou's voice was dramatic. "To show him the true error of his ways."

"Knock it off! We have to go to the student council office, remember?"

"So prompt and responsible, Mikoto," Toru said teasingly.

"Maybe we were wrong about him, after all."

"And he's already in his uniform."

"What a gentleman."

"Shut _up_," Mikoto snapped. "Get dressed and let's go, okay? It had nothing to do with being responsible!"

"Oh, I see. Mikoto just wants to hurry up and go so he can have time to call his girlfriend before class, am I right?" Yuujirou had slid off the top bunk by now and he was sliding out of his clothing as he spoke, rummaging for his uniform among his possessions.

"No!" Mikoto said quickly, though he blushed slightly. "It's nothing like that."

"Are you going to call her and sing to her?" Yuujirou asked, eyes focused on the buttons of his undershirt as he closed them carefully. "Because as your friend I would strongly advise against that."

"Ah! I told you both to shut up!" Mikoto, though he had gotten undeniably better at holding back his compulsion to fly into panic mode whenever he was teased extensively, looked on the verge of going there now.

"Relax, Mikoto. We're just teasing," Toru went to retrieve his uniform from the bag that still lay on the floor at the redhead's feet. "We haven't seen enough of you lately, and we have to work it out of our systems--"

"--Though to be fair that could take the rest of the school year," Yuujirou interjected, now fully dressed as put an arm solemnly around Mikoto's shoulders. "Ah, the toils of being a minor character."

"Whatever," Mikoto muttered darkly, turning around. "I'm going ahead without you guys."

"Oh no you're not!" Yuujirou grabbed the fleeing teen by the arm and yanked him back into the room. "You little bastard. How dare you abandon us! And I thought what we had was special!" he collapsed against Toru, the two of them crying fake tears in each other's arms.

Mikoto buried his face in his hands. "You guys are impossible."

**XXX**

When the three finally did get around to appearing at the student council office and had restrained Mikoto enough to actually knock on the door, they were greeted by the smiling face of Tomoe Izumi.

"Good morning," he told them brightly, opening the door for them. "I thought you might not even be coming."

By way of greeting, Yuujirou turned on him almost immediately and pointed a finger at him. "Quick, scenario! You're being attacked by a crowd of rabid fanboys! What do you do? Think quickly, or this could be your last moment with your virginity intact!"

Izumi faltered for only a split second before flashing a dazzling Princess smile. Yuujirou patted the fledging Princess on the shoulder. "Congratulations. You survived the attack without being mauled!"

"He means you're going to do just fine as a Princess," Toru translated.

"Exactly. I guess some people just have it. And others don't," he flashed a look at Mikoto, who only scowled. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"We were going over our Princess debut with Sakamoto-sama," Izumi answered as the three ex-Princesses made their way into the room behind him. "Matsuoka ran off right after we finished. I think he's annoyed with me…" the blonde sighed and then shrugged it off with a smile. "Anyway, Sakamoto-sama is waiting to talk to you, and for some reason Arisada-sempai is here too."

"_Him_?" Yuujirou asked with a sigh.

"What could _that guy_ possibly want?" Toru muttered.

"You guys…" Mikoto began, but was cut off immediately as Yuujirou and Toru reached the sofa where Akira and Arisada were seated, Mitaka looming somewhere vaguely behind them.

"Good morning Shihoudani-kun, Kouno-kun," Arisada said pleasantly, resting his chin on the top of his hands.

"What are you doing here?!"

"You're here to bully Akira into doing your bidding, aren't you?!"

"You vile beast! Does your tyranny know no bounds?"

Arisada waited until the two former Princesses were finished ranting at him before he spoke. When he did, his tone was far calmer than was normal for someone who had just been accused of all manner of atrocities. "Of course not. It's nothing like that," he paused and considered for a moment, stroking his chin. "Well, maybe just a _bit_--"

"We _knew_ it!"

"I think I'm going to class now…" Izumi said quickly, biting his lip at the budding scene of chaos before him as he turned for the door. "I'll come back for our Princess schedules later, Sakamoto-sama."

"Okay, Izumi," Akira said in confirmation and then turned his attention back to the rampaging pair before him. "Settle down, you two," he said softly, a large sweatdrop appearing on the side of his head. "You're making a scene again…"

"You _need_ a scene made over you, Akira," Toru declared.

"He's right! You'll never make one on your own! This guy's just going to twist your arm until you carry out all his evil plots!" Yuujirou agreed.

"Evil plots?" Akira asked, confusion sliding over his features.

"This guy's up to no good!" Yuujirou and Toru shouted simultaneously.

"Shut up!" Mikoto, who had been seething beside them the entire time, finally exploded in their faces. "Why do you have to make everything into a soap opera?!"

"How dare you?" Yuujirou snapped. "We're not _making_ a soap opera! Arisada's got it set up as one already! And need I remind you how much drama you caused last year? _We're_ not the ones creating anything! We're just--"

"Maybe both of you should be quiet," Mitaka interjected. "Wouldn't it be more practical for you to just listen to what Arisada-sempai has to say and _then_ make your judgments on the situation, rather than just yelling at each other and making the conversation go in circles?"

"Toui has a point," Akira told them. "We're not getting anything accomplished this way. Maybe you should hear Arisada-sempai out before you accuse him of anything."

"Okay fine, if Akira says so…" Yuujirou said with a sigh as he, Toru, and Mikoto took a seat on the other sofa facing the one Akira and Arisada sat. "I guess we have no choice."

"Thank you, Sakamoto-sama," Arisada said to the emerald-haired boy, once again resting his chin on his hands and fixing the three boys with his usual penetrating smile. "Now, I'd like to consult the three of you about a very important and… slightly _unorthodox_ matter."

"Ah!" Mikoto screamed out of habit, and Yuujirou elbowed him in the ribs.

"As you all know, Natashou-sempai graduated this spring. And according to the current-- and virtually unalterable-- rules of the Princess system, only a current student of the school can be the lead designer of the Princess' outfits. Therefore, Natashou cannot design Izumi-kun and Matsuoka-kun's outfits for the year. However, he is working diligently this year on his portfolio for Bunka Fashion College. This portfolio will decide whether or not he will get into the school. However, he needs inspiration to be able to create a portfolio worthy of application to such a prestigious university--"

"And that's where we come in?" Yuujirou asked, his left eye twitching as he fixed the former president with a sour expression.

"Exactly! I'm so glad you understand!" Arisada said, flashing them his version of a Princess smile. "As my longtime friend, Natashou gains priority over standard systems of this school. And so, Sakamoto-sama has generously agreed to let me bend the rules slightly--"

"What are you getting at?" Toru asked the older male, fixing him with a dubious expression. "I don't like where this is going."

"As I was _saying_, Sakamoto-sama has agreed to allow the instating of a new system in this school, an exclusive system lasting for one year and one year only in order to provide Natashou-sempai with the inspiration necessary to complete his profile admirably and get into his school of choice. A system that I would like to insist-- at Natashou-sempai's request, of course-- that the three of you participate in."

"And this system is?"

"The _Queen_ system!"

"_WHAT_?" Mikoto promptly fell from the sofa and onto the floor. "No fair!"

"I know, isn't it simply genius?" Arisada asked happily.

"No, it isn't!" Yuujirou snapped, sitting up and glaring fiercely at the evil genius who perched before him on the sofa like it was a throne. "Are you even allowed to do that?"

"Yeah! How could they possibly let you do something so… so…" Mikoto began.

"Unpleasant for you? Don't worry. I assure you that I got the full permission of the school board, the principal, _and_ of course Sakamoto-sama before going ahead with this endeavor."

"Akira!" Toru and Yuujirou shouted at the president, who recoiled slightly.

"I'm sorry, guys. I had no idea you three would be involved until this morning!" Akira said apologetically.

"That's fine, Akira. We can't be mad at you. But _you_ are a different story altogether, Arisada-sempai!" Yuujirou snarled. "_Another_ Princess system? Isn't one enough, you fiend?"

"This isn't a Princess system," Arisada reminded him pleasantly. "It's the _Queen_ system."

"It's the same thing," Toru muttered darkly with a sigh. This year, so full of bright prospects and new experiences, suddenly looked muddy and irritating on the horizon. Trust Arisada to ruin his fun. Though the thought of something as nostalgic as being a Princess again was slightly appealing, he could sense Yuujirou and Mikoto's adamant disgust toward the idea and felt inclined to go against the whole thing for their sakes.

"No, it's not. As the year goes on you'll become nowhere near petite enough to qualify as Princesses. But being a Queen is a different story altogether. Queens are not dainty, sweet, and compliant. Queens are alluring and strong, formidable in all their dark grace-- "

"But--" Mikoto began, but Arisada ignored him.

"As Queens, your responsibilities would be mainly to patrol the halls between classes and to assist the Princesses with their duties during particularly busy times of year, such as the sports tournaments and the school festival. Mind you that the Queen budget is of course significantly smaller than the Princess budget, and your benefits will be nowhere near as juicy. But Natashou-sempai explicitly asked that you three be chosen as candidates because apparently you inspired him more than any past Princesses have."

"So you're doing this all just as a favor for Natashou-sempai?" Yuujirou asked skeptically.

"Somehow I don't quite buy that," Toru agreed.

"You hurt my feelings," Arisada said elegantly. "You don't see me as a caring and generous friend?"

"Not really."

"Hmm. Well, that aside, I'll just ask you outright. Do you accept the position?" Arisada asked with a demure smile. Toru had the distinct feeling of being a worm dangled out on a hook. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond to something so ludicrous and sudden. But before he could speak, Yuujirou did it for him.

"…we'll think about it and discuss it amongst ourselves, and let you know in a few days. Is that good enough?" the blonde asked, giving Arisada a formidable look.

"For the time being, that will suffice," the former president answered, resting the tips of his fingers together. "I look forward to hearing your response. And I apologize for taking up so much of your precious time."

"Mikoto, you're awfully quiet," Toru said, ignoring the chuckling man and turning his attention to the surprisingly mute redhead. He was met with the sight of Mikoto still sitting on the floor, completely still and his face white. "Mikoto?"

"Dammit, he's broken again," Yuujirou said with a long sigh, reaching down to grab the feet of the boy in question. Toru shook his head.

"I guess we'll have to drag him to class."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Well, I'll try to update soon! I'm sorry if updates come more slowly now that summer has started, since ironically the vacation is the time I'm busiest. My sister's home from school, so most of the time we'll be off hanging out and I won't have as much time for writing. Sorry! I'll update whenever I can. **


	5. Onigiri

**Disclaimer: AWWWWWW yeah!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Death Is Painless! Wooo!**

**I'd like to thank ravyncat for saying that the Queen system sounded like something evil Tsuda-bear and Eiki-bunny would come up with. That really made my day :3 And of course I'd like to thank Mari-bear for putting up with being my beta reader! :snuggles:**

**Well, enjoy guys. 8D I'm sorry it took so long to get this done. And randomness: I'm hosting scans of Family Complex along with Puri Puri now for those who are interested!**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"There's no way I'm going to do it again!"

Yuujirou sighed heavily and cast Toru a look that said quite plainly 'just kill me now'. Pushing his smooth blonde tresses from his face, he finally turned his attention reluctantly to the redhead. Mikoto was still ranting, though Yuujirou was doing his best to tune him out. "Hey, Mikoto!"

Stopping his rambling almost instantly, Mikoto's eyes snapped up to his friend's face, a mixture of horror and anticipation overtaking his features. When Yuujirou spoke in that determined voice, it could mean either that he was about to give advice or that he was about to fly into ultra dragon emperor mode. Knowing about his upper hand in the situation, Yuujirou had to hold back a laugh.

"Maybe you should calm down. There's really nothing you can do about it right now. Besides, Arisada-sempai _asked _us. He didn't say, 'hey boys, put on these dresses right now!' He asked if we accepted the position, and we have a few days to discuss it. Therefore there's really no point in freaking out about it now when there are other things you should be thinking about. Like getting to your first class on time, for example…"

"Gyaaaa!" Mikoto shouted in surprise, glancing at his watch. "I was so worried about being a Princess again that I forgot about that!"

"Not a _Princess_, Mikoto! A Queen. It seems to me that you're not taking your position very seriously!" Yuujirou reminded him, a smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He flashed Toru a wink.

"He's right, you know! With allies like you, maybe Yuujirou and I are better off just dropping dead right here," Toru swooned and collapsed against the blonde, who held him up as the two stood in front of Mikoto, feigned tears coursing down their cheeks. Mikoto groaned, shoving his way past the drama act and heading in the direction of his first period.

"It doesn't matter anyway!" the redhead informed them, turning to talk to them over his shoulder. "Because no matter what happens, no matter what you guys say or try to bribe me with, there is absolutely no way I would ever consider wearing a dress again! I don't _care_ how you two threaten me! I don't _care_ what happens if I don't! I'm going to be on the track team this year, and I'm not going to give up all my time to strut around like some kind of dollfie again!"

"What's a dollfie?" Yuujirou whispered. Toru shrugged.

"Oh well, best just to ignore him when he gets like this," Toru reminded him, looking up at the former Western Princess who was already making a hasty retreat down the hallway. Mikoto's obvious displeasure at this whole thing was a bit sad, and yet, he must have been spending too much time with Yuujirou, because he couldn't help but break the news just then. "Mikoto!"

"What?" Mikoto sounded more than a bit miffed at being stopped again, but he turned to look at the blue-haired teenager, who fixed him with a smile that reminded him a little too much of Yuujirou for comfort. He shivered visibly, knowing he wasn't going to enjoy the next sentence that fell from his lips.

"You do realize that we're coming with you? Didn't you check your schedule? We're all in class 2-C this year…"

Mikoto's eyes opened slightly wider. He hadn't thought this day could possibly get any worse. But yet again, as on so many occasions on the subject, he had been proven wrong.

**XXX**

"So, are you three going to do it?"

Akira's voice was a welcome, therapeutic sound in the stress of the day, and Toru looked up from his bento box. The green-eyed boy was watching him expectantly, but not impatiently. Being around Akira calmed his jittery nerves slightly, and he exhaled deeply, slowly breathing stress from his body. "I don't know…" he said thoughtfully, biting into an onigiri and chewing slowly. "I guess we're all going to have to discuss it--"

"There's no way!" Mikoto exclaimed, gesturing animatedly with his arms as he spoke. "I am _not_ going to put on a dress ever again! You two can go ahead and discuss all you want, but leave me out of it!" he stubbornly took a bite of his school lunch and said nothing more.

"Mikoto, maybe you should calm down," Akira said soothingly. "No one's trying to force you right now, so you should relax." Mitaka looked like he wanted to agree, but he feared another outburst from the redhead and remained silent in his place beside the president. "It's alright."

Mikoto deflated, the fight going out of him and an air of quiet melancholy taking its place. "Sorry, guys," he muttered, sitting up a bit straighter against the tree he was leaning on. Despite the tension, eating lunch in the shade of the tree with the warm spring breeze in their hair was still a pleasant affair. Toru marveled at the fact that it could even keep Mikoto restrained. "I guess I'm being a little too stubborn about this whole thing. But… I just can't wear those dresses again! I told myself I never would, and I won't!"

"Geez, Mikoto!" Yuujirou said with a soft chuckle, rolling over in the grass and brushing his soft hair from his face. The sun dappled the ground through the branches on the tree and it fell in a soft pattern across parts of his hair, making it look like small, glowing diamonds were resting on the blonde tresses. "You're so stubborn. You're worse than me, did you know that? You're so weird," he laughed again, and Toru grinned at him, his fondness for Yuujirou preventing him from rebuking the blonde for his blunt speech. He did, however, shake his head at him, though he couldn't help but laugh too.

"He's not weird," Akira said thoughtfully, lowering a bite of food from his lips. "He's like an onigiri," he pointed at the rice ball in Toru's hand, and received several strange looks from his friends. "Oh… well, he can be a little sticky sometimes, but eventually his stubborn shape changes about things if you squish him around a little," the president explained, a sweat drop appearing on his head. "Sorry, that was stupid."

Mitaka put a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, and as he looked up at him emerald eyes met aqua ones, and Mitaka's stern face was warmed by a smile. "It wasn't stupid, Akira," he said gently. "Don't say that."

"Oh… thank you, Toui," Akira blushed slightly and looked back at his food, a small smile dancing across his lips. Yuujirou and Toru exchanged a 'what was that all about?' glance before turning their attention back to Akira.

"Yeah, we totally get what you mean, Akira," Yuujirou reassured him.

"Of course. That's just how Mikoto is," Toru agreed. He tipped his head back so his face went out of the shadow and the warm sun fell across his skin. Giving a happy sigh, he ran his fingers through the grass, enjoying the dual sensations of its coolness against his skin versus the warmth of the sun on his face. Despite the things that had arisen today, he couldn't imagine feeling more relaxed than he did at this moment.

Meanwhile, Mikoto's face still held and expression of confusion. "So now I'm like rice?" he asked, obviously slightly bewildered as he took another bite of his lunch. He shook his head "What is with you guys!?"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 6 is coming soon! :3**


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